April 9, the Community School District (CSD) trustees unanimously approved securing a $2.5 million Bond Anticipation Note (BAN), allowing repairs for Boothbay Region Elementary School (BRES) to move forward.

As reported in the Register, the BAN acts as an advance on the $30 million loan. This allows trustees to work with architects to revise the project's scope and get new estimates. The lawsuit delay cost the project about $3 million. The BAN will also pay off previous work, and let new designs, permitting and documenting progress.

The trustees spoke with Lavallee Brensinger architect Lance Whitehead about whether changes should be made to the project’s scope or if it should proceed as it was approved by voters, keeping within the allowed spending amount. Discussions focused on whether moving a proposed maintenance building, or BRES’s entrance and administration offices, would affect possible future renovations at the high school. Talks ended with trustees deciding to stick to the original scope, which includes moving BRES’s entrance.

In other business, Facilities Director David Benner said BRES’s parapet project is almost done. He also reported that Affinity LED is coming to walk through the schools, and asked trustees what should be done about new fixtures at BRES since renovations are forthcoming. They proposed stalling installation until repairs were completed, if possible.  

“It doesn't make a lot of sense to put fixtures in, to have them taken out in a year or year and a half (just) to take the chance of them getting broken,” said Sewall Maddocks.

Maddocks asked Benner if he could do an inventory of the school’s toilets, as he had noticed that some have 3-gallon flush cycles; if this were changed to one-gallon cycles, it could save money on the water and sewer bills.